WARNING: This chapter will be intense. Reader discretion is advised.
Gone.
They were gone.
They were there.
And then they were gone.
The local guards helped clean up the streets. Though they apologized profusely, no one blamed them. Zen, Keith, and Trace did their best to clean the mess they had made, but Barret was devastated. For 13 years he had searched, for 13 years he followed their trail, for 13 years he sought after them. And for ten minutes, he had found them.
And then they were gone.
He didn't remember much of the rest of the day. He didn't remember Natani gently pulling him away, taking him inside and upstairs. He didn't remember being asked if they needed to prepare his parents for a special funeral, or telling anyone that Ishtaer burn their dead on funerary pyres. He didn't remember laying down and sleeping that night. He did remember crying thousands of tears. He remembered the agony and pain. He remembered the void inside him. He remembered sorrow. And he remembered his heart being ripped in two.
When he woke up, he felt someone next to him. Natani and Keith had stayed by his side the whole night. Keith said kind words to him, but he didn't remember, and Natani kept him calm. Whilam didn't ask for payment from them. He tried to give kind words, telling Trace and Zen about the two Ishtaer. "I didn't catch much of what they said when they were here, but I did find out their names. I have friends all over town. Apparently she called herself Tinaiat [Tin-ai-aht]. She showed kindness to everyone she met, and even strangers seemed to know she could be a friend. The big guy, called himself Baehemuth [Bay-heh-mooth], and well, you saw how he was. Protective and fierce. Can't believe the nerve of those bloody Templars, executing folks without trial, in the middle of town no less! No one is happy, especially Mayor Zander, I can tell you that. We sympathize with you. Can't imagine how he must be feeling right now."
As Barret sat up, Keith and Natani woke up. "Sorry, thought you were going to stay awake…" Keith said.
"Tried. Sorry." She rubbed her eyes, which were red, as though she had also been crying. "How are you feeling?" Barret didn't answer, and stared at the end of his bed, the dull ache in his chest coming back.
"They're really gone, aren't they?"
"I'm so sorry." The tears welled up in his eyes again.
"I looked for so long. I tried for so long. I searched for so long. And now, I am alone. I am the last of my bloodline. My family will die with me."
"You aren't dead yet. We're not making a funeral pyre for you today. Actually, Zen told me last night that the local coroner didn't even ask about what to do. He already knew because this isn't the first time this has happened here. When you are ready, we can begin." Keith said, stepping out of the room. He walked into the front room, and heard crying. From the top of the stairs, he saw Flora pressed against Trace, two doctors beside them, one human, the other a dog Keidran.
"I'm sorry. We did all we could. If you had come sooner, we might have been able to do more, but you did all you could. Flora will be physically back to normal in a few days. She's been shockingly resilient, and has recovered very quickly from the shock. We are sorry for your losses." Zen put his arm around the two of them, and held them close. Flora would be alright. Just Flora. She lost the baby.
Keith watched this happen, and his heart sank. He had watched Trace and Flora become friends, lovers, ready to make their vows, ready to face the world together. But their world was suddenly ripped away from them. He knew how much they had both been looking forward to their new life together, but this… this would leave wounds that would never fully heal. This would be something they would carry the rest of their lives.
That evening, Trace, Flora, Zen, Natani, and Keith were outside town. Barret stood in front of them, a funeral pyre made of wood lay before them. On top, two fine silk sheets covered Tinaiat and Baehemuth, as their wounds were so severe they could not be fixed. Holding a torch, Barret spoke slowly: "I found you. I found you, only to have you snatched away. To have you taken from me again. I am broken. But I must go on. You will go before me, prepare a place for me beside you. Beside Eris. In the halls of our ancestors, you will find rest. With ancient fire in your veins, let it consume you, and lead you to eternal rest." With that, he lay the torch on the wood, and stepped back. The tinder caught fire, and the flames rose, consuming the two bodies. For a few minutes, they stood in silence, watching the flames rise and dance. "I… heard what happened, Flora. It's not tradition, but would you allow me to say a few words for your little one?"
Flora nodded, tears rolling down her face. "You spoke not a word. You breathed not one breath. But you shaped the world with your mere existence. Though there was no fire in your veins, you will find your place among the ancestors, and find eternal rest." The fire burned into the night. When it was nothing but embers and ash, Barret told everyone else to leave. "I need to do something. I'll join you back at the inn." After everyone left, he walked over to the fire, where the embers were still burning hot. Reaching down, tears rolled down his face as he found scales. Silver, with hints of gold on the tips, and silver with prismatic tips that shifted in the light. "I will not forget you." He whispered. "This will be my reminder. You will be what I fight for." Slowly, he walked away, leaving the rest of the fire to burn itself out.